Fruit treating machine



Sept. 30, 1941. P. JEPSON FRUIT TREATING MACHINE Filed June 14, 1938 14 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS Sept. 30, 1941. P, JEPSQN 2,257,341

FRUIT TREATING MACHINE' Filed June l4, 1938 14 Sheets-Sheet 3 Sept. 30, 1941. JEPSON 2,257,341

FRUIT TREATING MACHINE Filed June 14, 1938 14 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

a ATTORNEYS Sept. 30, 1941; P. JE'PSON 2,257,341

FRUIT TREATING MACHINE I INVENTOR- BY I fi fi ATTORNEYS.

Sept. 30, 1941.

P. JEPSON FRUIT TREATING MACHINE Filed June 14, 1938 14 Sheets-Sheet 7 Sept. 30, 1941. JEPSQN 2,257,341

FRUIT TREATING MACHINE Filed June 14, 1938 14 Sheets-Sheet 9 Sept. 30, 1941. JEPSON 7 2,257,341

FRUIT TREATING MACHINE Filed June 14,1938 14 Sheets-Sheet 10 a I INVENTORI. BY W ATTORNEYS Sept. 30, 1941. P. JEPSON 2,257,341

FRUIT TREATING MACHINE Filed June 14, 1958 14 Sheets-Sheet 11 m7 m9 I32 INVENTOR.

Sept. 30, 1941. P. JEPSON 2,257,341

FRUIT TREATING MACHINE Filed June 14, 1938 14 Sheets-Sheet 12 Sept. 30, 1941. P. JEPSON 2,257,341

FRUIT TREATING MACHINE Filed June 14, 1938 14 Sheets-Sheet 1s DWELL AT PI TTING POSITION DWELL L DWI'LL I 0! INVENTOR.

A1 'TORNEY$ Patented 30,

, FRUIT TREATING MACHINE Percy Jepson, San Francisco, Calif., assignor to Pacific Machinery Company, San Francisco,

Calii' a corporation of California Application June 14, 1938, Serial No. 213,604

Claims.

This invention relates to a fruit treating machine and in its preferred embodiment is especially adapted to thebisecting and pitting of peaches. The machine. of this invention may be adapted to the bisecting and removing or pits from fruits other than peaches as will be readily appreciated by those skilled in this art.

For the purpose of this application the peach treating embodiment of the invention has been chosen for the purpose of illustration and description.

A successful pitting machine must consistently produce a high quality of. work, that is, the fruit treated'must be cleanly and accurately cut into halves and the pit cleanly and accurately removed therefrom without damaging the meat of the fruit; the machine must maintain its quality of operation even when operating at a relatively high rate of speed; the fruit must be pitted with certainty and accuracy even though it varies greatly in shape, size or variety; for example, the machine must handle with nearly equal dispatch free end clingstone peaches and especially the split pit peaches which duringvsome seasons constitute a relatively large percentage of the olingstone variety; and, among other things, the machine must be easily operated and require the whereby rapid feeding of the machine may be maintained over extended periods of time withleast possible effort on the part of the operator 7 is to provide a fruit treating machine which will fulfill the above set forth specifications.

During the past season many tons of peaches have been treated in machines of this invention and have fully demonstrated their ability to meet these and other objects of the invention.

Other objects of this invention are to provide a fruit treating machine which will perform the pitting operation with the least possible pitting loss, that is, the loss of edible meat cut from the fruit during the pitting operation; to provide means for positioning the bisected fruit in sub stantially correct pitting register whether the fruit is of relatively large or small size; to provide a floating pitting plate to accommodate such different size fruits and in providing the pitting plate with a movable orifice blade arranged to form a shearing edge for the pitting knife; and providing means for connecting the orifice blade with the pitting knife supporting means whereby the shearing relation between the pitting knife and orifice blade will be maintained for the different adjustments of the floating plate whereby the pits will be cleanly cut from different sizes during the final portion of the pitting operation;

vto provide means for mounting the pitting knives for permitting bodily movement with relation to their respective pitting plates, whereby elongated pits may be cut from the fruit without making proportionately deep cuts in the fruit meat; and to provide an independent mounting for each of the pitting knives whereby one of said knives may operate to make a longer cut throughzits respective fruit half than the other, in such cases where one of the fruit halves contain a greater portion of the halved pit than theother; to provide means for yieldingly resisting the bodily movement of each of said pitting knives; to provide a driving means for the pitting knives including an independent yielding means for each knife whereby should one of the pitting knives hang up during the pitting operation, such knife will not be broken and-whereby the other of said knives may be driven through its pitting operation independently of the failure of the other of said knives to complete its pitting operation; and to provide each of the pitting knives with yieldable means for resisting the bodily movement thereof during the pitting operation whereby the knives will closely follow the contour of the pit.

A further object ,is to provide an impaling blade for supporting the fruit and a fruit engaging means movable along an axis angularly relating to the plane of said blade for positioning a selected portion of each piece of fruit whether relatively large or small at the same predetermined location in the machine.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the nature of the same is more fully understood from the following description and accompanying drawings wherein is set forth what is now considered to be a preferred embodiment. It should be understood, however, that this particular embodiment of the invention is chosen principally for the purpose of exemplification, and that variations therefrom in details of construction or arrangement of parts may accordingly be effected and yet remain within the spirit and scope of the invention as the same is set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 illustrates an eleva-tional view of the right hand side of the machine, as it would appear during the pitting operation.

Figure 2 illustrates a rear end view of Figure 1.

Figure 3 illustrates on an enlarged scale a fragmental longitudinal sectional view taken substantially in the plane of line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 illustrates on enlarged scale a sectional view taken substantially in the plane of line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 illustrates on enlarged scale a sectional view taken substantially in the plane of line 5-5- of Figure 1.

Figure 6 illustrates a sectional view taken substantially in the plane of line 6-6 of Figure 2.

Figure 7 illustrates a sectional view taken substantially in the plane of line 'I-I of Figure 2.

Figure 8 illustrates a sectional view taken. substantially in the plane of line 8-8 of Fi u e 7.

Figure 9 illustrates on enlarged scale an elevational view of the right hand cup carrier, a portion of the latch cam and the pitting means in section.

Figure 10 is an elevational view showing the cup carrier latch and latch actua-ting cam.

Figure 11 illustrates a view taken substantially in the plane of line Il-II of Figure 9.

Figure 12 is a sectional view taken substantially in the plane of line l2l2 of Figure 11.

Figure 13 is a sectional view taken substantially in the plane of line l3l3- of Figure 12.

Figure 14 is a sectional view taken substantially in the plane of line |4--l4 of Figure 11.

Figure 15 illustrates an enlarged elevational view of the peach supporting pitting plate and the adjustable shear plate.

Figure 16 illustrates an enlarged sectional view taken substantially in the plane of line l6--I6 of Figure 3.

Figures 17 through 19 show diagrammatically the cup carrier and its controlling cam in different positions during an operating cycle.

Figure 20 illustrates in perspective the cup carrier cam gate.

' Figure 21 is a perspective view of the tipping knife.

Figure 22 is a perspective view of the pitting knife.

Figure 23 illustrates an enlarged sectional view taken substantially in the plane of line 23-23 of Figure 3.

Figure 24 illustrates a fragmental view of the splitting saw and the location of the water jets for washing the sawdust and other foreign material from the saw.

Figure 25 is a fragmental view to show the relation between the fruit impaling blade and the bisecting saw and the water jets.

Figure 26 illustrates a modified form of the fruit impaling blade and the relation of the bisecting saw thereto.

Figure 27 is an elevational view of Figure 26.

Figures 28,29, and 30 diagrammatically illustrate the timing of the cams for operating the different mechanisms of the machine.

And Figure 31 illustrates diagrammatically the manner in which large and small fruit halves are correctly positioned in the machine by the angular arrangement of the fruit engaging means to the fruit supporting blades.

Figure 32 is a flow-sheet illustrating diagrammatically the sequence of operations performed with my fruit treating machine.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the machine is provided with a frame 50 of suitable construction for supporting the operating mechanisms of the machine. The forward end of the machine at which the operator stands while feeding peaches thereto is indicated in Figs. 1, 3, and 4 by the letter A, while the rear end of the machine is indicated in these same figures by the letter B. The machine is preferably mounted at a suitable height for the operator to sit on a stool (not shown) and to feed peaches to the machine from a box or other suitable supply. In

operating the machine, the operator will select a peach from the supply and in feeding the peach to the machine will pass the tip thereof into the V-shaped notch 5| of the tip removing knife 52, note especially Figure 21. In this way, the tip of the peach will be removed as the fruit is fed into the machine and this tipping operation also as sists in properly alining the fruit. The tipping blade 52 is mounted on the upper end of a suitable frame bracket 53, (Fig. 3) and the V-shaped notch 5| of this knife is mounted directly above the impaling and supporting blade 54 whereby as the fruit is conveyed by the operator downwardly across the tipping knife 52, the fruit will b in alinement with the impaling blade 54. The blade 54 is sharpened along its edge to enable the fruit to be easily impaled thereon. The fruit. is impaled upon blade 54 in theplane of its suture until the pit engages the upper edge of the blade and with the tip end of the fruit directed forwardly and, thereby positioning the stem end direclty toward the rear of the machine as indicated in broken lines in Fig. 3. This arrangement of the tipping and impaling blades enables fruit to be rapidly and accurately impaled upon blade 54 with easy, direct and natural movements on the part of the operator. The impaling blade 54 extends rearwardly from directly below the tipping knife to adjacent means for bisecti-ng the fruit. The impaling blade is mounted in the frame in any suitable manner. A split pit guard 55 is mounted along the impaling blade and is spaced at a selected distance from the upper edge of the blade and serves to correctly position peaches upon the impaling blade having split pits which otherwise might pass completely across the knife during the impaling operation splitting the fruit into halves, due to the split condition of the pit, as the pit would not in most cases engage the upper ,edge of th impaling blade to locate the fruit. The split pit guard 55 is adjustably mounted upon one or both sides of the impaling blade in any suitable and convenient manner. In Figure 23 the relation of the split pit guard 55 and impaling blade 54 is clearly shown.

Having impaled the fruit in the machine, the

operator need only actuate clutch lever 56 to place the machine in operation, no other attention is required on the part of the operator as y from this point on the operation of the machine is entirely automatic and thus the attention of the operator may be concentrated entirely upon correctly feeding the fruit into the machine.

In the actual operation of this machine, it has been found that an operator with very little experience can feed from 38 to 40 peaches per minute and this rat of feed may be increased as the operator becomes more skillful.

The operator in pressing the lever 56 which operates with a relatively light touch releases the driving clutch 51 (Fig. 8) through the following train of mechanisms:

The lever 56 is secured upon cross shaft 58 (Figs. 1, 3, and 4) journaled transversely in the machine frame and having secured to its opposite end a lever 59, the free end of which is connected to one arm or a bell crank lever 60 (Figs. 1 and 4) by means of a suitable link 6| (Figs. 1 and 4). The second arm of bell crank lever 60 is connected to the free end of lever 62 (Figs. 1, 2, and 7) by means of link 63 (Figs. 1 and 2), the lever s2 is secured to the outer end of the clutch trip- 88 to release the clutch driving pawl 88 whereupon under the influence of its spring 81, the free end of the pawl will swing into position to be engaged by one of the driving notches. 88

formed in a driving ring 89. The notched driving ring 68 is secured to the hub of sprocket Ill (Figs. 2 and 5) by screws II or other suitable means.

The sprocket is iournaled upon a transverse cam shaft I2 and is held in position thereon by collar 13 and the driven member ll of the clutch, both of which are securely fastened to the cam shaft. The clutch driving pawl 88 is pivotally mounted upon the driven member H. A spring 15 (Fig. 1) normally holds the clutch lever 58 and the clutch tripping plate 85 through the connecting mechanism in clutch disengaging position and acts as soon as the operator releases the lever 58 to swing the clutch tripping plate 68 in position to disengage the clutch at the end of the operating cycle. The driven member Il may be provided with a cam plate 14a. (Figs. 5 and 7) which will act during the rotation of member 14 to positively return the clutch tripping plate 65 to its clutch disengaging position, however, in some cases, the cam Ha may be dispensed with so that the machine may be continuously operated.

In the operation ofthe machine, the operator need but instantaneously actuate the clutch lever 58 whereupon the machine will be put into operation and will automatically stop at the completion of the pitting cycle. Upon impaling a second piece of fruit in the machine, the clutch may be again released and the machine operated through a second operating cycle and so on for the succeeding pitting operations. If the cam plate 14a is dispensed with, the clutch lever 56 may be held depressed, thereby causing the machine to run continuously, and, in some cases, it is more convenient to so operate the machine, in which case the operator will feed a piece of fruit into the machine in time with each operating cycle thereof, however, in the preferred embodiment of the machine it is deemed desirable for the operator to trip the machine into operation with the feed ing of each piece of fruit therein.

Any suitable form of motive power may be utilized in driving the machine. Inthis embodiment however, an electric motor 16 (Figs. 1 and 2) is mountedupon the upper portion ofthe machine andis provided with a speed gear reducing mechanism 'I'l forming a unit with the motor and having a shaft 18 extending from one end thereof upon which is suitably secured a driving sprocket ,19 which is connected to the clutch spocket 10 by means of a driving chain 80. It will be understood that during the operation of the machine the motor 16 will be continuously in operation and will continuously drive the clutch sprocket 10, whereby upon release of the clutch the machine will be instantaneously placed in operation in the manner described.

With each operation of the machine, the cam shaft 12 will be driven through 360 degrees, one revolution or, in other words, one cycle of operation and as this shaft carries a series of operating cams for driving the several. elements of the machine the said elements will likewise be driven or actuated through one cycle of operation for each release of the clutch. The operator having fed apiece of fruit indicated at 81 in broken lines in Fig. 3 on the impaling blade 54 and having released the driving clutch, the machine will first operate to push the impaled piece of fruit along the impaling blade to a transfer position as indicated by broken lines at 82 in Fig. 3. The fruit will be pushed along the impaling blade by a pusher element 83 (Figs. 1 and 3) provided at its upper end with an oii'set button like portion 88 lying directly over the upper edge of the impaling blade 54 for engaging the blos som end of the fruit approximately centrally thereof. The tip of the moved during the feeding operation provides a flattened surface against which th portion a of the pusher can act.

The pusher element 83 is mounted for reciprocation upon a pair of spaced guide rods 85 (Fig. 3) The reciprocating mechanism for the pusher element includes connecting this element by means of link 86 to the free end of lever 81 secured upon the transverse shaft 88. The transverse shaft is suitably journaled in the frame of the machine and has secured to its outer end a the upper end element to lever 88 connected at its free end to the free end I of lever 80 by means of link 9|. The free end of lever 90 is provided with two spaced pin holes 92 to either of which the link 8| may be connected, thereby providing an adjustment for the pusher member. The cam lever 90 is keyed to the outer endof lever shaft 93. The shaft 83 is suitably iournaled in the frame of the machine and has keyed thereon a double'ended lever 94, of this lever is connected by links 98 to one end of plunger rod 91. Adjustably connected to the opposite end of plunger 91 is a cross head 98 mounted for reciprocation upon spaced guide rods 99. The cross head 98 is provided with a cam roller I08 arranged to travel in cam groove lill formed in the adjacentiside face of cam disc I02. The cam disc I 02 is one of the main operating cam discs which is keyed upon cam shaft 12' by the elongated key I03. The cam groove I8! is shaped to reciprocate the pusher advance the impaled peach from its feeding to its transfer position. The profile of cam groove IN is diagrammatically represented in Fig. 29 showing the actuation of the pusher for advancing the peach during the first degrees of rotation of the cam, to dwell there 5 degrees and thereafter to return to its initial position during the rotation of the cam to degrees and to maintain the pusher in retracted position for the remainder of the operating cycle, thereby providing ample time for the operator to feed the next piece of fruit into the machine. As the cam groove controls both in and out strokes of the pusher mechanism, the operation thereof is smooth, quiet, and rapid. It is desirable although not entirely necessary to provide a second impaling blade I04. (Fig. 3) directly above the impaling blade 58 and spaced therefrom a fruit having been re- As the two blades are in alinement, they help the operator to correctly aline the plane of the suture of the fruit with the plane of the impaling blades. The upper impalingblade I04 is sharpened along its front engaging edge as indicated at I05. The split pit guard 55 as will be noted in Figure 3, extends for nearly the full length of the impaling blade 54 and will act to guide peaches having split pits during the movement of such fruit from the feeding to the transfer station.

During the operating period of the machine J in which the'pusher is advancing the impaled fruit along the impaling blades, the fruit carrying cups are advanced from the pitting station to the transfer station. This is indicated by the first portion of. the cup carrier actuating cam diagram as shown in Fig. 28. There are two fruit carrying cups, one for engaging each side of the impaled friut at the transfer station and operable for advancing the fruit through the bisecting means and into pitting register at the pitting station. As each of the fruit carrying cups and its actuating mechanism is like the other, the description will be confined to one.

The fruit carrying cup I06 includes a cup shaped portion for cupping around the body of the fruit as is clearly shown in Figure 11, whereby during the travel of the cup carrier the fruit will be conveyed from one station to the next. The fruit carrying cup I06 is mounted upon one end of plunger I01 (Figs. 4, 9, and'll) slidably mounted in the carriage I08. The plunger I01 is yieldingly urged by spring means I09 to in turn press the fruit cup in holding relation with the fruit. The carriage I08 which slidably supports plunger I01 is mounted for reciprocation upon a pair of guide rods I I and is reciprocated back and forth along these rods by thefollowing mechanism which includes connecting the carriage to the free end of cam lever III by means of link H2. The cam lever is keyed to a transverse shaft I 13 which shaft is suitably journaled in the frame of the machine. Keyed to shaft H3 is a short lever II4 which is connected at its free end by means of link II5 to the forward end of plunger I I6. The rear end of plunger II6 vis connected to cross head I" mounted for reciprocation upon a pair of guide rods I I8: The cross head is provided with a cam roller II9 arranged to travel in the cam groove I formed on the adjacent face of the cam wheel I2I. The cam wheel I2I is secured to the main cam shaft I2 by means of key I03. Through this train of mechanism during the rotation of the cam shaft I2, the cup carriage I08 will be reciprocated back and forth making one full journey for each rotation of the cam shaft.

Referring to Figure 28 which diagrammatically represents the contour of cam groove I20, it will be noted that during the first 100 degrees of rotation of the cam, the cupcarriage is moved forwardly to carry the fruit cups to the transfer station, for the next 70 degrees while the fruit cups are being released into engagement with the fruit, the cup supporting carriage I08 is maintained stationary and from the 170 degrees position to the 205 degrees position, the cam groove is arranged to advance the carriage slowly while the cups carry the fruit through the bisecting means and from the 205 degrees to the 270 degrees the cups are moved rapidly to carry the fruit to the pitting station, from this point to the end of the operating cycle the carriage will remain stationary.

It is one of the important features of this ingaging cup I06 in its retracted position during the forward stroke of the carriage and for permitting the fruit cup I06 to move into engagement with the fruit located in the transfer station and to remain in yielding contact with the fruit during the movement of the fruit from the transfer to the pitting stations and for releasing the pitted fruit half and ejecting the same from the cups during the initial portion of the next forward stroke of the carriage. These means are diagrammatically illustrated in Figs. 17, 18, 19 and 20 and are illustrated in other figures of the drawings.

For controlling the fruit cups in the manner described, the plunger I0I is provided with a bracket I22 (Fig. 11) on the lower end of which is journaled a cam roller I23. During the forward movement of the carriage, the cam roller I23 will roll along the cam switch rail I24 (Fig. 19) and due to the shape of this member will retract the fruit cup I06 from engagement with the fruit half and during this initial portion of the operating cycle, the fruit half engaged by the cup will be ejected therefrom by the ejector means I25 including an ejector plate I26 (Fig. 11) mounted upon the forward end of an ejector plunger I21. Connected to the ejector plate I28 is second plunger I28 which extends through the rear portion of the cup and the rear end of which is arranged to engage the carriage I08 when the plunger I0! is moved rearwardly to the position indicated in Fig. 19 to force the ejector plate outwardly and thereby positively eject the fruit half from the cup. This insures an accurate and positive discharge of the bisected and pitted fruit half from the machine. Just before the cup carriage I08 completes the forward end of its journey, the cam roller I23 rides from the end of rail I24 and into engagement with the cup controlling gate I29 (Figs. ,1? and 20) The carriage I08 has now completed its forward travel and remains stationary for 70 degrees while the fruit engaging cup I00 is lowered into contact with the fruit located in the transfer station.

The gate I29 is operated at this point to permit the fruit cup I 06 to gently move into contact with the fruit under the influence of its spring I09. The means for actuating gate I29 includes connecting the free end of the gate to the lower arm I30 of cam lever 94 by the link means I3I. The cam'lever 94 is actuated by the pusher actuating cam in the manner previously described.

During the return travel of the pusher element 83 that is between the degree and degree positions of the operating cam, the gate I29 is swung about its pivot I32 counterclockwise as viewed in Fig. 17 to gently lower the fruit cup I06 into engagement with fruit located in the transfer station. From the 170 degree position to the 205 degree position, the carriage I08 advances slowly during which time the cup I06 carries the fruit through the bisecting means and then is moved rapidly from the 205 degree to the 270 degree position to advance the bisected fruit travel, the switch rail I24 the action of its spring means I30 to permit the cam roller I23 to pass roller I23.

ing means preferably includes which is connected by means of register. During the return travel of the carriage I00, the cam roller I13 will engage and travel along the cam plate I33 (Figs. 1'! and iii) to gradually retract the fruit engagmg cup I as the fruit is moved along the pitting plate I34 to the pitting station. During this will be lifted against half into pitting its free end, whereupon the next forward travelof the carriage I03 the cam roller I23 will again travel along the switch rail I24. For each operating cycle of the machine, the cam roller I23 first travels during the forward movement of carriage I00 along the switch rail I24 into engagement with the gate I20 and then during the return stroke along the cam plate I33 to its starting positiorrand in between the forward and rearward travel of the carriage, the

the fruit cup into enp tion. Figures 17 to 19 also of gate I20 during the operating cycle. Figure 19 found that a saw blade of g; of an inch thick was quite suflicient, while the width of the adjacent end of the impaling blade is in the neighborhood of V; of an inch. These dimensions are merely given for the purpose of illustration as other dimensions may be advantageously used. This arrangement however has one important advantage in that, the meat of the fruit engaging the impaling blades is held sufllciently spread to prevent sawdust or pit fragments from being embedded in the fruit meat while the saw is cutting through the hard pit, this is further assisted by shows the carriage moving forwardly during the initial portion of the operating cycle and at the same time the gate I2! is rotating about its pivot in a clockwise direction reaching the maximum travel in this direction in Fig. 1'1 just as the cam roller I23 rides from the end of the rail I24 and while the carriage remains stationary the gate is swung in a counter-clockwise direction permitting the cam roller I23 to travel along its cam surface to control the movement of the fruit engaging cup I08 The cup I00 is prevented from engaging the impaling blades 44 and I04 as well as the blsecting means by any suitable form of stop and is retracted so as to clear the pitting plate I34 by the cam plate I33 and in this way the machine may be operatedwith no fruit in the machine without damage.

The cup carrying carriage for the opposite side of the machine is reciprocated in themanner described that is by securing the double ended lever 34 to the cam lever shaft 03 by suitable key-means and to key to another portion. of this shaft a lever arm I300; which corresponds to of lever 34. I

In this embodiment of the invention, the bisecta circular saw I mounted on mandrel I31 journaled in theframe and driven from the motor by means of a pulley I30 secured to the outer end of the mandrel belt I39 to pulley I40 journaled on a countershaft HI, and preferably integral with pulley motor pulley I43 by means of belt I44. Bracket I45 is preferably made adjustable for tensioning belts. The saw is driven directly from and through the system of pulleys is speeded up so as to travel a relatively high rate of speed to thereby more efficiently act in cutting or bisecting the hard pits of the fruit.

It will be understood that the plane of the saw is coincident with the plane of the impaling blades 54 and I04 whereby fruit impaled on theseblades will be correctly alined secting saw. It is one of the features of this invention to arrange the saw. out of reach of the operator to prevent injury, and it is for this reason that the impallng blade 54 is made of sufflcient length to provide a feeding station spaced a safe distance Figure 25 one relation of the circular saw with the lower impaling blade is shown. In actual practice it was 15 sected the arm I30 I40 is a second pulley I42 which is driven from the the saw driving 1 the motor material therefrom.

and finally releasing the, cam

may be provided.

terminating the sharpened edges-of the impaling blades just before the saw end thereof (note Figs. 3 and 25). To further assist in maintaining the meat of the fruit free of sawdust or pit chips, a stream of water may be directed against each side of the saw just above the .portionof the saw blade which enters the fruit, this relation of the water jets. I40 is shown in Figure 25. The water or other fluid provided by'these jets will be carried by the saw through the fruit and will act as a cushion in preventing sawdust and pit fragments from becoming embedded in the meat portion. Other jets of water, air or other fluid may be directed against the saw blade at other points of its periphery for the purpose of removing foreign In Figure 24. the cleaning jets I40 are shown arranged to flush the teeth of the saw just after they pass through the fruit and attention is directed to the positioning of these jets in that they are spaced one tooth apart in order to more effectively perform their cleaning "operation. If preferred, the jets may be spaced a greater number of teeth apart and more jets Also it is preferred to jet the cleaning fluid against the saw in angle relation thereto as shown in Figure 25.

Figs. 26 and 2'7 illustrate a modified form of impaling blade for the purpose of guiding the meat portion of the of the saw for preventing sawdust or pit chips from becoming embedded in the meat of the fruit. Inthis embodiment impaling blades 54 groove I41 through saw travels, whereby as the saw, the meat of the fruit which lies opposite the saw end of each of the and I04 is provided with a which the cutting edge of the the fruit is moved across thev impaling blades will be guided across the cutting teeth of the saw and thus protected from injury, the saw acting" primarily to cut the hard pit of the fruit and, as in the prior case, water upper blade I04 portion of the provided to shield the saw blades and to collect the cleaning fluid, sawdust and pit fragments for disposal.

or other means may be provided for carrying away the sawdust and pit fragments.

As most of the sawdust and pit fragments are produced by the teeth of the saw passing through the pit and in those cases where the blade is continuously cleansed, the groove portion I41 of the may be dispensed with as the saw blade is cleaned during its travel past this fruit. A shield or casing I48 is Attention is directed to the fact that the bisecting saw is driven directly from the motor and therefore is continuously operated irrespective of whether the operating clutch '51 is engaged or disengaged.

As previously stated, the fruit carrying cups I03 carry the fruit across the saw blade I30 relatively slowly, to prevent overloading the saw and exertion of excessive pressure on the fruit. Shortly after the fruit has been bisected, the bifruit halves are moved onto the pitting fruit across the cutting teeth blade.

plates I34, one located on each side of the saw The pitting machani'sms for each side of the machine are of identical construction and therefore the description will be limited to one side.

The pitting plate I34 is mounted upon a swing frame I49 (Figs. 3, 4, 9 and 15), having its forpivotally connected to the machine frame as at I50 and connected at its rear end to the frame by spring I I which normally holds the pitting plate against stop'screw I52 (Fig. 4) The purpose is to permit the pitting plate I34 to automatically swing into adjustment for different sizes of peach halves.

of the invention, the pitting orifice is formed in an orifice plate I55 slidably mounted within an opening I56 formed in the pitting plate (Figs. 9 and 15) whereby the fruit engaging surface of the two plates lies in the same plane. The forward end of orifice plate I55 is guided by the strap I51-extending across the forward portion of the pitting plate opening I50 while the rear end of the plate is guided by guide plates I50.

Positioned directly in back of the pitting plate to operate through the pitting orifice I54 is-a knife frame for each side of the the pitting frame by means of link I69 (Figs.

It should be clearly understood ting knife,

provide adjustment 4 and 9). As may be pitting frame I60 is move? orifice plate will be corresponl'i'fi} t to link I00 to maintain the proper lation with the pitting knife. hand, if a small. fruit half is to pitting plate I outwardly link I69 which is the orifice plate and the pitting knife frame I50 of 3 degrees, knife to its normal position.

By comparing the three diagrams, Figs. 28, 29 and 30, the time of operation of the several in strumentalities of the machine may be readily compared.

The driving means for the pitting knife includes mounting upon the upper end of the pitting knife shaft I'II (Figs. 5 and 16) a spur gear I12 meshing with the rack teeth formed on one edge of the rack rod to prevent breakage of the knife. I11 is adjustably mounted upon the for spring I10.

end of the plunger is connected to 

